People are selling hacked Fortnite accounts online for over £600 each
Epic Games is warning gamers to be wary of new hack attacks could see your Fortnite account stolen and flogged for hundreds of pounds
HACKERS are flogging stolen Fortnite accounts for as much as £900 ($600) on shady internet forums.
The hit video game is hugely popular with kids, but its success has made it a prime target for criminals seeking fast cash.
The most pricey accounts are ones with a high total level, rare cosmetic items or lots of V-Bucks – Fortnite's virtual currency.
An investigation by gaming site revealed that the forum used to flog the dodgy accounts – called Nulled.to – is typically frequented by as many as 4,000 people at any one time.
The site is branded as a "cracking community where you can find tons of great leaks".
It's loaded with stolen Fortnite accounts that are being sold on to the highest bidder.
A developer called Marksman who creates Fortnite-hacking software revealed that there are several ways to steal an account.
One of the easiest ways is apparently to download "combo lists".
These are huge lists of thousands of known email-and-password combinations for other services – like Netflix, Spotify and Dominos.
These password combinations are mined from huge software breaches, like those that have affected MySpace or LinkedIn in the past.
What is Fortnite?
- Fortnite: Battle Royale is a version of Fortnite, a video game released by Epic Games in July 2017
- The online game is set in a post-apocalyptic world, based around a battle for survival
- Fortnite offers two distinct modes: player versus environment 'Save the World' and the more recent player versus player game Battle Royale
- The game starts with 100 players leaping out of a plane on to a small island, fighting each other until no one is left
- Fortnite has proved a massive hit with more than 3 million kids
- The game is free and kids can team up with a friend, a group of friends or compete as a duo or squad
- Matches can last up to 20 minutes
- Though it's a multiplayer shooter, no graphic violence is depicted
Hackers can use these same password combinations to try and access Fortnite accounts.
If they get lucky, they can then flog the Fortnite account on dodgy forums for quick cash.
Hackers also use stolen credit card information to buy Fortnite codes – which give access to in-game items in Fortnite.
These codes can then also be sold for money.
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In a statement, creator Epic Games said: "Epic continues to work with our customers who have been impacted by credential stuffing or brute force attacks.
"We encourage players to guard their account information and not to trust third-party websites with their account information."
Do you reckon your Fortnite account is worth anything? Let us know in the comments.
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